5 Non-Traditional Meditation Styles

Blessed be Wildlings! Today we're going to talk meditation styles! In particular, some that aren't the go to, "sit with your hands on your knees," models. While the traditional lotus stance is very effective, I know that, for beginners to meditation, or practitioners with ADD or ADHD, especially, clearing the mind can be difficult while quite literally just sitting still and doing nothing. When the standard for our mind is to be continuously moving, it can be very difficult to convince it to sit still (even when we are)! And so, I hope this article can help you find a meditation style that works for you.

The only absolutes that must be present for meditation are silence, or almost silence (in the case of using sound mediation), and an absence of outside influence by beings that are not your higher self or spirit guides. While this does not inherently mean that you must be alone to meditate, it does mean that we should only meditate in the company of people who are also seeking to connect to the inner universe and deeper truths within themselves, or are at least respectful enough of the solitude that we personally need to meditate to leave us be as we do so. Patience is something that also does not hurt to have a surplus of. Just as Rome was not build in a day, the deepest truths of the universe can't be discovered that quickly, either!

If you are wanting a desired outcome from meditation, enter the meditation seeking those answers, and you'll probably find them. But, to be honest, I truly recommend going into your early sessions without any goal or purpose in mind. Enter without expectation, and you will certainly leave without disappointment.

Sound good? Ready to learn some new ways to meditate? Let's go!

1. Creative Meditation

One of the more common ways I meditate is through the creative process. Learning to use art and creation as a means to meditate is as easy as letting go of our active thoughts around the work as we make it, and because of the direct connection to the creative conduit of source, creation can be a powerful means of connecting to the hum of the universe around and within us.

Any creative task being used for meditative purposes should be a task that we can do and complete with ease. Coloring pages, digital art making, knitting or crocheting simple patterns, line or abstract drawings, and color based painting are really great examples of creative meditation methods. A very famous form of creative meditation is the creation of the massive sand mandalas in Tibetan temples.

As you create, allow your mind to move from the task of creating to wherever it would like to wander. This can be anything from personal feelings and experiences to greater and vaster visions of the universe and its intricate truths beyond the self. Do not force or chase these thoughts. Simply allow them to bloom into what they please. Observe them as they come and go. It may take a bit of doing to get the hang of it, but being able to find this separation of your true self from your active stream of thoughts (so that we may see we are not truly our thoughts or body, at all) is one of the most powerful principles of meditation.

Occasionally, one of these thoughts for me is so powerful and poignant that I pause my creation to record it, before I return to my art. Most of the time, however, these thoughts are very simple, true thoughts. Because I am not actively generating them, what comes to mind during these times is usually pretty unaltered by my ego, which allows for clarity and truth to be viewed in a way that is not directed by external emotions such as fear or bias. By allowing these emotions and experiences to filter through my awareness, I am providing room to embrace and acknowledge them, before either letting them go or arranging them as needed in my mental filing cabinet. This allows for greater inner order and peace of mind to exist, even when we are not actively creating.

What we create can also reflect what we are feeling and experiencing as we create and meditate. This can be very useful to study and observe once we are no longer in a meditative state of mind, and to help bring back to mind the clear insights and inner truths we discovered while creating the piece.

2. Focal Object Meditation

This is among one of the more commonly listed traditional meditation styles. In many temples, the altar is the focal object for meditative work. In a witch home, or the home of a spiritual practitioner who also keeps an altar space to honor ancestors and deity, the altar is very commonly used in the same way as ancient monastics and spiritualists alike. The purpose of focusing on the altar is to allow the mind to be focused on specific objects for long enough to clear our thoughts of ego or attachment to the present. By fully focusing on an object, and allowing ourselves to freely think without judgement on that object, we are clearing our minds of any stressful or negative outside thought in order to allow higher wisdom in.

Any sort of object can be used as meditation, however. In addition to my altar, I enjoy gazing into flames, watching smoke, holding and meditating on runes and crystals, intricate artworks, the shape of individual trees, and more. When I visit museums (and have the time and space) I often take the time to meditate with one or two of the objects there that seem interesting or alluring to me.

Focal object meditation is done by holding or focusing on the object in its entirety. Do your best to only allow your thoughts to focus in on this object. Ask yourself questions such as: What color is it? Why is it that color, how does it make me feel, what is its purpose? As you answer these questions, answer quickly and honestly. Allow the thought to move through you. Allow that thought to inspire another.

Eventually, you'll find yourself at a thought that is very far removed from where you started, and which, very likely, has brought you to some deeper or higher understanding of yourself and the world around you.

3. Observation/Passive Meditation

Similar to focal object meditation, observation or passive meditation involves not focusing on a single object, but a single point in space. I often start this meditation process by focusing in on a center point that is stationary, and then allow my focus to expand outwards, so that I am focusing on everything I can see within my frame of vision without moving my head or body.

Like with other forms of meditation, the point is not to force our thoughts or direct our attention to any specific point in our field of vision. Allow your mind and thoughts to focus on whatever they are inclined to, but remember: don't move! If whatever you have chosen to focus on happens to leave your line of vision, let it. If something seems to be happening elsewhere that you can't see, let it.

This form of meditation reinforces our mind's ability to focus in on what is pivotal to it in the present moment. It asks us to embrace that which we can actively see and experience in favor of that which is beyond our field of vision or outside of our immediate reach. It teaches us to intentionally close out that which is outside of our immediate influence for that which is, which can be applied to any situation in which we are being asked to give our full focus while something seemingly pressing is ongoing around us.

In addition, the usual benefits are present: by observing our thoughts about our frame of perspective, but not actively engaging with them, we will be lead towards truths we may not have realized on our own. Allowing the space you are interacting with to exist as it is, and allowing your thoughts to coincide with it, deepens our sense of self, and our ability to control and be active with our thoughts and actions in more a productive way.

4. Sound Meditation

Sound meditation is a fun and healing way to meditate. It involves allowing our mind to sink into and absorb the sounds around us. While there are a wide variety of sound based meditation videos available on YouTube, using bells, chimes, and certain hertz frequencies, there are also guided meditations, in addition to modern or classical music, instruments, singing, and the creation of rhythm with body, the sounds of nature, or the hum of humanity in the midst of cities and populated spaces. Choose a sound style that calls to you if this meditation form is intriguing to you! I personally use a blend of them.

A major benefit of sound meditation is that the meditation itself can be quite intentional. While other meditation types may not led to the desired outcome we may have had at the beginning of the session, sound meditation is often specifically designed to create a specific outcome, or lead us through certain emotions or realizations. This can be very helpful for people looking to work with energies that are hard for them to locate or conjure from their own, or that would greatly benefit from some outside oomph.

While sitting in a space with your chosen sound, allow yourself to hear and experience it. Envision, if it helps, the sound slowly filling and replacing the space for thoughts with the sound. As usual with meditation, allow whatever thoughts or feelings that arise as you do this to move through your mind with a simple observation. Sound meditation, for me, mostly conjures up pure emotional experiences or interesting visualizations, especially if I am able to fully clear my mind to allow for open observation, and can be a very powerful and moving experience!

5. Walking Meditation

Walking meditation is meditation done while doing a task as simple as walking. Dusting, doing dishes, gardening, you name it - if it's a simple task, it can be used as a means to reach meditative state.

Using walking as the primary example, focus on the basic act and motions of walking. Feel your feet touch the ground. Feel the air on your skin as you move, and notice where and how you're holding your arms. If you feel tense or stressed, allow those feelings to slip away. Observe (but don't force or interact with) your surroundings.

Allowing yourself to become fully involved in the act of walking will open space for thoughts you have not created or provoked to enter into your mind. Like most meditation forms, allow this thought to pass freely through you. Don't force or take action with it. Allow that thought to move into another. If a new thought happens to enter your mind, inspired by something ongoing with the task at hand, allow it.

Walking meditation is an especially useful meditation style for people who have issues with being unproductive while meditating. It allows a busy mind the space and room to find peace and inner balance, and to set aside stress and outside negative thoughts. When done intentionally, walking meditation improves an individual's inherent ability to separate themselves from stressful or negative thoughts when the need arises!